The South of Ireland (Killarney) Congress was held virtually on BBO over the last eight days. The winners of the various events were:
- Sunday 8 May: Congress Pairs – Rhona Goldenfield & Kath Nelson; Intermediate Pairs – Clare Burke & Kay Hayes
- Monday 9 May: Mixed Teams Qualifier – Rhona Goldenfield, Ted Reveley, Mike Pownall, Jeremy Dhondy
- Tuesday 10 May: Mixed Teams Final – Catherine Draper, Michael Prior, Sue Willcox, Andrew Woodcock; Swiss Teams – Elva Gannon, Jim McAndrew, Mary Trench, Alan Johnston; Intermediate A Pairs – Neesa Patten & Myra Carney; Intermediate B Pairs – Claire McSweeney & Margaret Delaney; Novice Pairs – Nuala Moloney & Joe Henry
- Wednesday 11 May: Women’s Teams – Cathy Ferguson, Joyce Benson, Ileen McGregor, Catherine Gerrard; Men’s Teams – Bob McKinnon, Gwynn Davis, Ian Patrick, David Ritchie
- Thursday 12 May: Mixed Pairs – Michelle Moloney & Enda Glynn
- Friday 13 May: Masters Swiss IMP Pairs – Mary Trench & Miriam McConville; Intermediate Swiss IMP Pairs – Michele Heaslip & James Ward; Fast Friday Open Pairs – Eileen & Anne-Marie Keaney
- Saturday 14 May: Lough Lein Team of Four Qualifier – Cian Holland, Paul Casselle, Derek O’Gorman, Tom McCarthy; Gala Open Pairs – Maria Whelan & Joe Walsh
- Sunday 15 May: Lough Lein Team of Four Final – Aida Aris, Mark Roderick, Zrinka Kokot, Pat McDaid; Intermediate B/Novice Pairs – Marie Hutton & Teresa Murphy; Gala Open Pairs – Ursula Devine & John G Kennedy
Our thanks to the TDs Diarmuid Reddan, Fearghal O’Boyle, and Mairead Basquille for ensuring that the lengthy congress went off without a hitch.
In case you haven’t seen it, bridge features in a short story by former Irish junior international and Bankers BC member Sarah Gilmartin, published recently in the Irish Times. The greatest compliment we can give Sarah is to say that she captured the spirit of tournament bridge so well that it made us yearn for weekends spent at congresses in “identikit, mid-rate hotels the length of the country”! Sarah’s debut novel Dinner Party was published recently in hardback, to excellent reviews, and will shortly appear in paperback.